Subsidized lunches topic of superintendent's visit

PACIFIC BEACH  State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell is scheduled to visit Mission Bay High School tomorrow to highlight the increasing demand for government-subsidized school lunches.

Students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches based on family income. Demand generally increases by about 1 percent per year, but the number of students who qualify in South County's Sweetwater Union High School District increased by 41 percent this year.

The Cajon Valley Union School District has seen a 28 percent increase in students qualifying for free and reduced-price lunches this year. San Diego Unified is up 6 percent.

O'Connell plans to talk about emergency legislation by a Northern California assemblyman that would provide an additional $19.5 million for school meal reimbursement in California. –C.M.